Chapter 75

The noticeably rounder Flareon lay beside them, eyes closed in rest, while Caterpie gnawed on a black slipper that Luo Mu recognized instantly, playing with Dogguibao.

Only he wore slippers in this house; there was no need to guess whose slipper—already chewed to shreds—this was.

Veins bulged on Luo Mu’s forehead as he repeatedly hypnotized himself: the child is still young, doesn’t understand; it’ll get better when it grows up.

He held back again and again, until finally Caterpie dug up Luo Mu’s lost blue slipper from some forgotten corner, proudly presenting it to Dogguibao with a “follow me and you’ll get great benefits” expression—he couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Ca—Ti—Gou!”

Luo Mu’s angry voice made Caterpie flinch, and even the Flareon, who had been smiling as it watched Caterpie play, turned with a look of alarm.

What’s going on? Why is Luo Mu suddenly so angry?

In Flareon’s mind, there was no concept of “destroying the house.” Caterpie’s love for chewing slippers proved the pup was being raised well, its natural instincts fully expressed—something to boast about when showing off as a pet Pokémon elsewhere.

Luo Mu strode over to Caterpie, crouched down, and precisely gripped the scruff of its neck, bringing its gaze level with his own.

But when he met Caterpie’s guilty eyes and drooping tail, though his heart softened, he forced himself to stay firm—on discipline, he would never compromise.

Under Dogguibao’s thoughtful gaze, the household’s hierarchy was reaffirmed once more.

Even as Caterpie’s big brother, in Luo Mu’s presence, it could only whimper pitifully for mercy, as meek as a quail.

After finding a sealed pot in the storage room, Luo Mu collected nutrient-rich soil from the experimental fields in the farming zone and quickly prepared the miniature Fu’s new pot.

Upon receiving the new pot, Mini Fu’s cheeks flushed slightly; under the gaze of the Bai Pengpeng, she bowed her head gratefully to Luo Mu.

“It’s nothing. Since I brought you back, this basic responsibility is mine to fulfill. Rest well in your new pot.”

Luo Mu gently stroked Mini Fu’s uniquely textured cheek, speaking softly.

“Fu~”

Mini Fu closed her eyes, savoring the sense of safety from this human, so much taller than herself, and felt a quiet anticipation for the life ahead.

Seeing Mini Fu so content, the Bai Pengpeng grew slightly jealous and immediately swarmed Luo Mu, nuzzling him to beg for head pats too.

After soothing all four Pokémon one by one, Luo Mu, as he left, muttered with his hands behind his back: “Am I raising Pokémon… or soothing concubines in a harem?”

Something just feels off…

Doubting whether his farm’s Pokémon were acting strangely, Luo Mu furrowed his brow and went to find the last Pokémon needing placement—Clefairy’s location.

To be honest, the moment he found three Pokémon in the kitchen, he’d prepared himself—but when he saw the scene before him, he couldn’t help sighing.

The Pokémon temporarily entrusted with Clefairy was Dragonite. Luo Mu had worried Dragonite, obsessed with sweetness, might do something reckless—like directly tasting Clefairy’s “flavor.”

But after Kingdra proposed to supervise Dragonite and prevent it from acting on sudden impulses, Luo Mu agreed to let them temporarily care for Clefairy.

Yet now, these two fake besties had reached a state of open hostility over Clefairy’s custody.

Luo Mu scanned the kitchen and quickly deduced the cause: on the table sat a few leftover slices of toast from breakfast.

One slice was generously coated with what looked like fresh, delicious whipped cream—likely made by Clefairy.

Unlike its evolved form, Milotic, which could produce whipped cream of varying flavors depending on its form, Clefairy’s cream was purely original flavor. And since it had just been born, covering this entire slice was probably its limit.

The toast was small—easily swallowed in one bite.

Yet two Champion-tier Zhuli Pokémon were now on the verge of fighting over a single slice of whipped cream toast—this was truly embarrassing.

Ignoring both sides’ posturing, Luo Mu stepped directly into the center of the conflict, picked up the slightly panicked Clefairy with his right hand, and lightly but firmly tapped Dragonite and Kingdra on the head with his left, sighing: “Enough.”

He sliced the toast into four equal portions with a knife, then moved swiftly, shoving two pieces into Dragonite’s and Kingdra’s mouths, leaving one for Clefairy, and took a bite himself.

Aside from the slightly dry texture of the toast left out all day, Clefairy’s whipped cream was truly delicious—sweet but not cloying, with a light, airy, yet delicate mouthfeel like clouds.

As a pastry assistant, Clefairy and its evolved form, Milotic, were among the most suitable Pokémon.

Luo Mu remembered that Milotic, once evolved, could take up to 63 different forms, each producing whipped cream with even finer flavor distinctions.

Broadly, they fell into eight categories: sweet-sour, fragrant, refreshing, sour, salty, vibrant, slightly bitter, and complex.

After tasting Clefairy’s cream, Luo Mu was already eager to see what flavor Milotic’s cream would be after evolution.

Forced by Luo Mu’s authority, Dragonite and Kingdra accepted the four-way split. One held its portion with its hand, the other with its vine whip, both smiling blissfully as they savored Clefairy’s cream.

Because the portion was so small, Dragonite, never caring for decorum, licked its lips repeatedly, as if afraid any cream remained stuck to its face.

Kingdra, however, was very conscious of its image—it turned its back to Clefairy, Luo Mu, and Dragonite before licking the cream off its face.

Seeing their frantic behavior, Luo Mu could only turn away and smile faintly. Clearly, just the ability to produce whipped cream was enough to earn Clefairy double care from Dragonite and Kingdra.

Clefairy’s final living arrangement was decided to be the kitchen cabinet—after all, it had always lived in one at Aili Ranch.

Still, Luo Mu planned to find an opportunity to visit a carpentry shop in Pingdi Town.

He intended to build a beautiful cabinet to store dessert utensils, so Clefairy could move in with it.

After settling the four new Pokémon, the time was nearly seven p.m.

After rushing to prepare dinner for nearly twenty Pokémon, night had fully fallen.

After cleaning up, Luo Mu finally returned to his bedroom, sat at the bright desk, and slowly flipped through the professional book “On Pokémon Psychological Trauma,” borrowed from Nurse Joy of Pingdi Town.

Although early spring had passed, the evening air was still chilly.

All his cotton slippers had been destroyed by Caterpie; he could only wear his summer sandals. As for warmth… naturally, he relied on Caterpie, whose body constantly radiated heat, to warm his feet.

In the quiet night, under the bright desk lamp, the rustling of Luo Mu turning pages was clearly audible.

Caterpie had already fallen asleep on Luo Mu’s feet; Umbreon rested quietly nearby, eyes closed, its body—capable of unleashing devastating lightning—breathing rhythmically, looking harmless as a house cat.

Closing the book, Luo Mu checked the time.

Eleven p.m.

Time to rest. Tomorrow morning, he must rise early to begin sowing and plant all the seedlings.

He stroked Umbreon’s smooth fur, pulled back the covers, and found Pokémon had already warmed his bed.

Without surprise, he stepped over Kingdra and Mimikyu’s bodies and slipped into bed, smiling as he whispered softly, so as not to wake them: “Good night.”

The next day.

As dawn barely broke, Luo Mu awoke, quietly left the warm bed, endured the faint chill on his exposed skin, and swiftly completed his morning routine.

Dressed and ready, Luo Mu opened a fresh bag of Pokémon food—he occasionally used it as a temporary substitute when he didn’t feel like cooking.

In this world, Pokémon-related industries were incredibly advanced, including Pokémon food, which had long been developed.

Nutritionally, Pokémon food was well-balanced, nearly indistinguishable from homemade meals.

Most Trainers who couldn’t cook chose to buy Pokémon food; though slightly more expensive than homemade, it saved considerable effort.

In terms of his world before crossing over, it was like the difference between cat/dog meals and cat/dog kibble.

Due to starting from nothing, most resources had been poured into Umbreon and the others; to save money, Luo Mu normally avoided Pokémon food and preferred to spend time making meals himself.

But today… the labor would be immense. He wanted to conserve as much energy and strength as possible.

When daylight fully broke, the Pokémon had gradually woken up. After their morning meal, Luo Mu took several Pokémon who could lend a hand and headed directly to the farming zone.

Many crops were suitable for spring planting; besides seasonal vegetables and fruits, today’s main focus would be the unassuming wheat.

Dogguibao’s evolved form, Twisted Rope, had the ability to aid wheat growth; wheat could be ground into flour to make bread and other baked goods, or fermented into beer.

Paired with Clefairy’s whipped cream, it could be turned into many kinds of desserts.

Even if not sold, the wheat grown on Luo Mu’s own farm had countless uses.

Since Mudkip’s power was still weak, one Pokémon alone couldn’t till the entire farming zone; Luo Mu assigned Gyarados to take Mudkip to the designated fruit tree planting area and use the Tiller move to enrich the soil.

Compared to ordinary vegetables, fruit trees rich in energy required even better soil.

Grabbing farming tools, with the Pokémon’s help, Luo Mu poured his sweat freely across the fields.

He worked at this labor all day long.

At dusk, Luo Mu leaned on his slightly aching lower back, staring at the field—still less than a quarter complete—and sighed.

Alone, his speed and efficiency in farming were far too slow.

Even with Pokémon assisting, they were merely helpers—not decisive forces.

At this point, if he had a Psychic-type Pokémon, many repetitive bending motions wouldn’t be necessary—but none of his captured Pokémon were Psychic-type.

Even more boldly, if he had a Psychic-type combined with Grass-type—like Celebi or Regieleki—forget farming; they could create an entire forest with ease.

The Forest God and the Bountiful King weren’t just empty titles.

Also, there was the Alola region’s one of the Four Island Guardians, Tapu Bulu, who not only tilled soil but also had the power to make vegetation flourish.

But as rare individual entities, Alola would never allow its Island Guardians to be taken away by outsiders.

After dinner, Luo Mu unusually didn’t continue studying. He lay face-down on his bed, enjoying a vine massage from Kingdra.

Luo Mu didn’t know what style of massage Kingdra used, but under Umbreon’s direction, each pressure point made him grunt in pain—then immediately brought deep relief.

Under Umbreon’s glowing golden eyes, he didn’t just feel his clothes were seen through—he felt his skin, even his muscle tissue, laid bare.

X-ray vision—terrifying.

Enjoyment aside, Luo Mu didn’t forget his duties.

While no classes were scheduled, he called each student who had left their phone number.

Outside class hours, he rarely stayed at Orange College; students with training questions could only contact him by phone.

After ending the lengthy thirty-minute call with Nimo, Luo Mu sighed deeply. Dragonite promptly handed him a cup of warm water.

Sipping the water, Luo Mu rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Other students were fine—usually ten minutes was enough. But Nimo seemed to have endless questions; if she hadn’t sensed his exhaustion, she might have discussed Pokémon battles and training with him all night.

Moreover, Nimo’s questions were sharp. Luo Mu felt she was absorbing his teachings at an astonishing rate, like a sponge.

“This is what true battle talent looks like…”

Luo Mu fell into memory, recalling how in the Zhu Zi game, neither Nimo nor Yeci had ever used their full strength against “him.” Nimo used a newly trained team, while Yeci had held back significantly.

Just like his own Champion exam—if Yeci had started with that absurdly strong Lumineon and brought out the powerful Servine as backup, he probably would’ve lost.

Thinking this, Luo Mu shook his head helplessly and slowly dialed his last student, Pape.